Bag opener



Oct. 6,. 1953 Filed May 8, 1948 v. KINDSETH 2-,654,5l9

BAG OPENER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 //////l//'////////////[///////7 77 HARoLo V Kvossm ATV'QQNEYS A Oct. 6, 1953 v. KINDSETH BAG OPENER Filed May 8, 1948 5 Sheets-Shet@ INVENTOR. "t4ROLD V NNDSETH B Qik Oct. 6, 1953 H. v. KINDSETH BAG OPENER 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 8. 1948 IN VEN TOR.

HA-?OLD I( /ONDSETH BY V 56.

TORNEYS Patented Oct. 6, 1953 BAG OPENER Harold V. Kindseth, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Bemis Bro. Bag Company, Minneapoli's, Minn., a corporation of Missouri Application May 8, 1948, Serial No. 25,875 4 Claims; (CI. 226-59) This invention relates to a new and improved bag opener particularly well suited for opening small "cellophane" bags.

Heretofore, when filling small flexible walled bags or containers, which are normally in a flattened condition prior to filling, to facilitate storage, dificulty has frequently been experienced when inserting the contents into the bags, to fully expand the bag walls and particularly the bottom wall portions of the bag so that the bag, when filled 'and sealed, will present a neat and pleasing appearance to the eye.

I t iscommon to dispense numerous commodities such as peanuts, nuts, candy and the like, in small transparent "cellophane bags," the walls of which inherently are rather difficult to fully eX- pand when inserting the contents into the bag bodies. This results, first, because of the particular manner in which the bottom portions of the bag body walls are folded, When the bag is in a flattened condition, whereby the gussets thereof at the bottom of the bag may not completely unfold because of portions of the contents becoming wedged between the plies or walls of the gussets; and, secondly, because the weight of the contents of the bag body may not be sufiicient to cause the lower portions of the bag body walls to become fully expanded to a desired squared condition during the filling operation.

To overcome this difiiculty, it has been necessary to insert some instrument or device into the bag body to expand its walls, Orat least partially expand them, and at the present time it has been quite common for an operator filling such bags bag to expand its walls prior to filling the bag. This requires time and obviously tends to retard the filling operation of the bags. Furthermore, it does not assure that :the bottoms of the filled bags will be completely expanded and squared, so that when the bags are filled, the bag bottoms may not be suniciently squared to permit the filled bags to be placed upon :their bottoms in an upright position'.

One of the important objects of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a bag opener particularly adapted for opening small bags, which comprises an elongated member over which the empty bags may readily be fitted when in normal flattened condition, and said member being operable upon receivng the empty bag to expand its walls to their normal squared positions, including the squaring of the bag bottom, after which :the contents may be delivered into the bag and compacted therein to provide a package to insert one or more fingers into each pand the walls of the opener; in

which will present a very neat and pleasing appearance to the eye. 4

A further object is to provide a simple, inexpensive bag opener which may readily be mounted upon a suitable table and comprises a member over which the empty bag is fitted and which, when aotuated by depression o-f a simple foot pedal, completely and fully expands the bag walls and simultaneously squares its bottom after which a charge may be delivered into the expanded bag body and its open top closed and sealed.

A further object is to provide a combination bag opener or expander and a filling hop per having a funnel-like' discharge opening adapted to deliver material into the open mouth of the bag when the bag opener has been actuated to exof the empty bag. i

Other objects of the invention reside in the simplified Construction of the supporting frame the Construction of the bag wall expanding device which consists of two hinged members normally folded into flatwise relation With their supporting plate and having means for outwardly swinging them to expand the bag walls and simultaneously square the bag bottom; in the arrangement of the hopper in the upper portion of the device and the provision of a glass panel between the bottom of the hopper and the top of the empty bag, whereby the operator may readily note :the contents as they discharge from the hopper into the bag body; and in the simple Construction of the operating means for the wing members whereby all of the parts thereof are exposed to View and are readily accessible in the event that they may require repairs or adjustment.

These and other objects of the invention 'and the means for their attainment will be more apparent from the following description taken in connection with :the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings there has been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not conned to the exact features shown, as various changes may be made within the scope of the claims which follow.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the novel bag opener herein disclosed, showing it mounted upon a table and an empty bag fitted over the bag opening member thereof;

Figure 2 is a frontview of the bag opener showing the wing members for expanding the bag body walls in noperatve positions;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, showing the simple construction of the apparatus;

Figura 4: is a fragmentary View on a larger scale, showing the driving connections between the Operating member and the two wing members;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional View on the line 5-5 of Figure 3 on a larger scale, showing the transparent panel positioned above the open bag top to prevent portions of the material being packaged in the bags from discharging onto the floor during the filling operation.

Figura 6 is a detail sectional View on the line a-t of Figure 1, showing an empty bag positioned over the wing members with the bag walls partally collapsed;

Figure '7 is a View similar to Figure 6, but showing the wing members actuated to iully exp-and the bag wallsy Figure 8 is a detail 8-8 of Figure 4;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary view showing the bag wall opening means in its normal collapsed condition with the transparent plate positioned thereover; and

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a bag showing the squared formation of its bottom resulting :om having its walls expanded on the novel device herein disclosed, and whereby the filled bag may be placed upon its bottom, when filled.

the novel bag opener or expander herein disclosed is shown comprising a frame, preferably of metal, generally clesignated by the numeral 2. Tit is shown comprising side plates 3 and i secured together in spaced relation by a suitable cross member 5 at the rear of the machine, and having the bottom edges of its side walls 3 and ti secured to a suitable base plate e, shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. The plate 5 may be secured to the rear edges of the side plates 3 and l by such means as welding, and the lower edges of the side walls may be similarly secured to the bottom plate 6. suitable apertures 'I may be provided in the base plate 6 whereby the device may readily be secured to a table top, as indicated in Figure l. The lower front portion of the frame 2 is preferably ope as shown in the drawings, whereby the frame 2 may readily be clamped to a table top by a conventional c-clamp, as will readily be understood by reference to Figures 1 and 3.

Interposed between the side walls 3 and i within the upper portion of the irame 2 is an inclined plate 8, the opposite edges of which are suitably secured to the walls 3 and 4, whereby the plate 8 securely ties together the upper portions of the frame walls :i and 4, and, in addition, provides a support for the bag wall opening means, next to be described.

The bag wall opening or expanding means is generally indicated by the numeral e, and is shown comprising an inclined plate H having its upper portion secured to the inclined plate or wall member 8 of the supporting frame 2 by such means as bolts !2, shown in Figure 3. Secured to the plate Hare opposed elongated hinge members 13 and !4 each comprising a portion !5 adapted to be secured to the plate l l, and suitable wing members !E being secured to longitudinally extending hinge shafts H, whereby when the shafts !1 are relatively rotated, the wing members e are swung inwardly or outwardly, as will subseouentlv be described.

The wing members!!! are' secured to the hinge or wing members s by such means as, w ld ng,

sectional View on the line as will be understood by reference to Figures 5 and 6, and are of such size that when swung outwardly to the positions shown in Figure 5, the bag body walls will be expanded to their maximum fullness, as clearly illustrated in Figures 5 and 7.

suitable sheaves !9 are secured to the upper ends of the hinge shats |1 at the rear of the supporting iframe 2, and each has one end of a fiexible element Zi, such as light cable or cord, secured thereto, as indicated at 25 in Figure 4:. A spring 22 has one end connected to the cord 2| and its opposte end is fixed to a portion oi` the supporting frame 2, as indicated at 23 in Figures 1 and 3, whereby a downward pull is constantly exerted on the fiexible element ZI to rotate the wing elements [8 to their collapsed positions, shown in dotted lines in Figure 4: and in full lines in Figura 6.

Other cables 24 have their upper ends secured to the peripheries of the sheaves !9, as shown at 25, and have their lower ends connected to the upper end of a slide 25, mounted for vertical sliding movement in a guide 21 secured to the tie member 5 at the rear of the supporting frame 2. Secured to the lower end of the slide 26 is the upper end of a connection 28, the lower end of which may be connected to a suitable Operating pedal 29 pivoted at ai, as shown in Figure 1. The cable portions or runs 24 pass over a horizontally disposed roller 30 at the rear of the apparatus, as shown in Figures l and 3.

To further extend the usefulness of the device t a suitable hopper 32 is mounted in the upper portion of the frame 2 and has its opposed side walls welded to the upper horizontal edge portions 33 of the side walls 3 and 4 of the frame 2, as indicated at t in Figures 1 and 2. The hopper has a funnel-shaped discharge 35 positioned over the inclined plate i l of the bag wall opening device 9, whereby when the wing members !3 are swung outwardly with their bag wall expanding positions, shown in Figures 5 and 7, material introduced in the hopper 32 may discharge onto the plate l l of the member e between the upright wing members !8 and will flow downwardly thereon into the empty bag, as will readily be understood by reference to Figure 3.

The length of the bag wall expanding device 9 is such that when an empty bag is fitted thereonto, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the upper edges of the bag top walls will be spaced downwardly from the funnel-shaped discharge 35 of a hopper, and the gap provided between the edges of the bag walls and the bottom of the hopper discharge is closed at the top by a transparent panel 36, which may be suitably secured to a bracket 31 adjustably fixed to the front wall 38 of .the hopper by a fastening element 39. i

In operation, a flat, empty bag is fitted over the collapsed bag wall' expanding device 9, as shown in Figure 1; the operator pulling the ,bag upwardly onto the member 9 by partially opening the mouth of the bag and grasping the top wall portions with the fingers of one hand. If desired, the operator may fit the empty bag onto the member 9 by grasping the bag adjacent to its bottom. When the empty bag has been pulled onto the member 9, as shown in Figure 1, the operator depresses the foot pedal 29 which,

through its connections with the shafts I'I of the w" hinge members !3 and !4, will cause the wing members l8 to swing outwardly against the bag 7 Walls and thereby expand them into rectangular bag body are expanded, the

usual manner.

By the use of the novel bag opener herein disclosed, each bag body may be quickly and comsequently closed and sealed.

While the invention has been found particularly useful in connection with bags of the smaller sizes, it is to be understood that it may conceivably be used for handling relatively larger bags by enlarging the machine to accommodate such bags. Its greatest use, however, has been found in the handling of small bag bodies, such as are used for dispensing nuts, candies, and other such commodities in small packages, and which bags are so small that it is diificult to insert a hand into the bags to fully expand the walls at the bottom of the bag.

not limited thereto.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus of the class described, a supporting frame, an elongated fiat member secured at one end in said frame and having its opposite end portion projecting outwardly therefrom, wing elements hinged to the opposed side edges of the projecting end portion of said member substantially the length thereof, and normally folded inwardly over said member to permit an empty bag body to be fitted over said projecting end portion, and means connected to said pivoted elements for swinging them outwardly right angular positions relathe bag body to expand and square the walls of a bag positioned on said member, said wing elements engaging substantially the entire inner surfaces of said opposed walls.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a supporting frame, an elongated plate-like member secured at one end in said frame with its opposite end portion projecting outwardy and downwardly therefrom, elongated wing elements connecting said operation in opposite directions.

3. In an apparatus according to claim 2,

portion of said member.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a. supporting frame comprising spaced side walls,

the bag top.

HAROLD V. KINDSETH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 241,945 Dula May 24, 1881 567,701 Weldon Sept. 15, 1896 1,467,323 Jewell t sept. 11, 1923 1,615, 38 Bott Jan. 25, 1927 1,830, 645 Dietsch Nov. 3, 1931 2,307,990 Buggs Jan. 12, 1943 

